This 2011 Holiday Gift Guide entry is targeted at making computing a little more fun and futuristic - and we're even giving this one away! The Microsoft Touch Mouse is made exclusively for use with Windows 7. It's got a multitouch surface, allowing you to use natural touch gestures to perform common tasks. Basically, think of it as the Apple Magic Mouse, but for your Windows PC. It's got support for one-, two-, and three-findered gestures, and runs on 2 AA batteries. They sell for $79, but you can get one on Amazon now for $41, which is a whopping 48% discount.

Or, you can win one here! We are giving one of these Microsoft Touch Mouse prizes away as we continue our holiday giveaway series. Simply use the widget below to enter to win. We've got a lot of ways for you to enter, but don't check off any that you don't actually perform. If you do, you'll be eliminated:

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In addition to the $79 Kindle, Amazon also announced the Kindle Touch today. The Touch starts at $99 with special offers (or $139 without them) and features a new silver design. It's 8% lighter and 11% smaller than the Kindle Keyboard, and uses an IR touch system, eliminating the need for physical buttons for typing and page turning. Obviously, this also calls for a new UI, and we think it looks great. There's also a 3G model that sells for $149 with free global roaming. You can pre-order both models right now, and they'll start shipping on November 21st.

Apple has been awarded its long sought-after patent on the iPhone. Intellectual property experts say it's so broad and far-reaching that the iPhone maker may be able to bully other smart phone manufacturers out of the U.S. market entirely.

Some three-and-a-half years after filing for a patent on the iPhone, Apple on Tuesday was awarded U.S. patent number 7,966,578 for "[a] computer-implemented method, for use in conjunction with a portable multifunction device with a touch screen display, [that] comprises displaying a portion of page content, including a frame displaying a portion of frame content and also including other content of the page, on the touch screen display."

That's just the beginning of the abstract for Apple's iPhone patent, which the company filed back in December 2007. It gets quite a bit more technical in its full form, but there's one thing patent experts consulted by PCMag agree on—Apple has been awarded an incredibly broad patent that could prove to be hugely problematic for other makers of capacitive touch-screen smartphones.

Apple's patent essentially gives it ownership of the capacitive multitouch interface the company pioneered with its iPhone, said one source who has been involved in intellectual property litigation on similar matters. That's likely to produce a new round of lawsuits over the now-ubiquitous multitouch interfaces used in smartphones made by the likes of HTC, Samsung, Motorola, Research in Motion, Nokia, and others that run operating systems similar in nature to Apple's iOS, like Google's Android, said the source, who asked not to be named.

iOS devs, time to get to downloading, as Apple has just released iOS 4.3 beta 3 alongside the iOS SDK 4.3. Downloads are available for the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and even the 2nd generation Apple TV. The SDK build is 10M2514, while the software for the devices is build 8F5166b. From the looks of things, this beta is all about checking and testing AirPlay video with the iOS devices and Apple TV. We will keep our eye out for any other new hotness in this build.

iOS devs, time to get to downloading, as Apple has just released iOS 4.3 beta 2 alongside the iOS SDK 4.3. Downloads are available for the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and even the 2nd generation Apple TV. The SDK build is 10M2508a, while the software for the devices is build 8F5153d. From the looks of things, this beta is all about checking and testing AirPlay video with the iOS devices and Apple TV. We will keep our eye out for any other new hotness in this build.

iOS devs, time to get to downloading, as Apple has just released iOS 4.3 beta alongside the iOS SDK 4.3. Downloads are available for the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and even the 2nd generation Apple TV. The SDK build is 10M2508, while the software for the devices is build 8F5148b. From the looks of things, this beta is all about checking and testing AirPlay video with the iOS devices and Apple TV. We will keep our eye out for anything else in the beta, since it's interesting that the Verizon iPhone was running version 4.2.5 with mobile hotspot. You'd think 4.3 would incorporate those features as well.

Users of the iPhone 3G or second generation iPod touch need not apply, as 4.3 isn't compatible with those devices. iOS 4.3 also brings new four- and five-finger multi-touch gestures to the iPad.

We can definitely appreciate a well-built all-in-one, and Lenovo is known for their rugged build quality. That's why we're recommending their touchscreen M90Z in our 2010 Holiday Gift Guide - well, that, and we found an absolutely amazing deal on it on Amazon (51% off!) Even better? We're gonna be giving away one of these bad boys right here, right now. Details on that below, but first, let's talk about the M90z. For the price, you're getting a 23-inch LCD display that rocks an Intel Core i5 650 processor, 4GB of RAM, Intel GMA HD graphics, DVD burner, SD card reader, webcam, and multiple USB ports.

So, how do you win this thing? We've got three ways for you to enter:

Facebook:
Head on over to the Gear Live Facebook page and Like us. Then leave a comment on our wall. You can do this once per day until the contest ends, and each comment will count as an entry!

On Twitter, post this tweet about our contest: “Hey @gearlive hook me up with the Lenovo M90Z! http://gear.lv/e-m90z” (Click here to tweet this now)

There you have it, three ways to enter. You must reside in the US to be eligible. The contest runs through Monday December 20, and we will announce a winner, who will be chosen randomly from all eligible entries, on the 21st. Oh, and if you don't win, don't worry, a few of our pals at other sites are running a similar contest, and we've got the full list for you after the break.

Ever wanted to play beer pong on an iPhone? No, we mean literally, on an iPhone? Apparently, the folks down at TableConnect did, and imagined their vision to life by using a dedicated app on a jailbroken iPhone and a 58-inch multi-touch table. The end result is a table that replicates the iPhone display. The table works surprisingly fast and allows for all the typical hand gestures to work, such as swiping and pinching. Hit that play button above for a look at it.

Apple completely redesigned the iPod nano for the 2010 holiday season, eliminating the click wheel altogether, opting instead for a touchscreen device that is almost as small as the iPod shuffle. We got our hands on the multi-touch orange iPod nano and give you a look at it in this episode.

Today’s Deal of the Day brings you the just-released HP TouchSmart 310 all-in-one multi-touch PC at a 25% discount, and with a free 640GB hard drive upgrade. The TouchSmart 310 rocks a 20-inch 1080p LED-backlit multi-touch display, AMD Athlon II 2.8GHz dual-core processor, 2GB RAM, 802.11n WiFi, optional TV tuner, and wireless keyboard and mouse. It’s all running Windows 7, and you get it all for under $675 with the HP promo code, which is a $225 discount.